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The CCNA certification is where it all starts for training in Cisco. With it, you'll learn how to handle the maintenance and installation of routers. Fundamentally, the internet is based upon huge numbers of routers, and commercial ventures that have various regional departments need them to keep their networks in touch.

Successfully achieving this qualification means you'll probably end up working for large commercial ventures that have several locations, but need their computer networks to talk to each other. On the other hand, you might end up joining an internet service provider. These jobs are well paid and in demand.

If routers are a new thing for you, then qualifying up to the CCNA level is the right level to aim for - don't be pushed into attempting your CCNP. Once you've worked for a few years, you will have a feel for if it's appropriate for you to go to the level of CCNP.

We'd all like to believe that our jobs are safe and our work futures are protected, but the growing reality for the majority of jobs throughout the UK right now seems to be that there is no security anymore. In times of growing skills shortages coupled with escalating demand though, we almost always hit upon a fresh type of market-security; as fuelled by conditions of continuous growth, employers struggle to find the staff required.

Taking a look at the IT sector, the most recent e-Skills investigation demonstrated a more than 26 percent skills deficit. To put it another way, this clearly demonstrates that the UK is only able to source 3 certified professionals for each 4 positions existing now. This distressing notion underpins the requirement for more appropriately qualified computer professionals across Great Britain. Because the IT sector is growing at such a speed, is there any other area of industry worth considering for your new career.

So, which are the questions we should raise if we're to get the understanding we want? After all, it's evident there are many pretty superb prospects for us all to investigate.

A ridiculously large number of organisations focus completely on the certification process, and completely miss the reasons for getting there - getting yourself a new job or career. You should always begin with the end goal - don't make the vehicle more important than the destination. You may train for one year and then end up doing a job for a lifetime. Don't make the error of choosing what sounds like an 'interesting' course and then put 10-20 years into a job you hate!

Set targets for earning potential and what level of ambition fits you. Often, this changes what accreditations will be expected and what'll be expected of you in your new role. Seek out help from an experienced industry professional who appreciates the market you're interested in, and who can give you 'A day in the life of' understanding of what you'll actually be doing on a day-to-day basis. It'd be sensible to discover if this is the right course of action for you before the training program is started. There's really no point in beginning your training and then find you've taken the wrong route.

We need to make this very clear: Always get full 24×7 support from professional instructors. You will have so many problems later if you don't. Email support is too slow, and telephone support is usually to a call-centre that will take the information and email an instructor - who will call back over the next day or so (assuming you're there), at a suitable time to them. This is not a lot of use if you're stuck and can't continue and can only study at specific times.

Keep your eyes open for training schools that have multiple support offices active in different time-zones. All of them should be combined to give a single entry point together with 24 hours-a-day access, when it suits you, without any problems. Never settle for anything less. Support round-the-clock is the only kind that ever makes the grade when it comes to IT courses. Maybe late-evening study is not your thing; but for the majority of us however, we're out at work during the provided support period.

The age-old way of teaching, using textbooks and whiteboards, is an up-hill struggle for the majority of us. If all this is ringing some familiar bells, dig around for more practical courses which feature interactive and multimedia modules. If we're able to get all of our senses involved in our learning, then the results are usually dramatically better.

Interactive full motion video involving demonstration and virtual lab's will forever turn you away from traditional book study. And they're a lot more fun to do. Be sure to get a demonstration of the study materials from your training provider. The package should contain instructor videos, demonstrations, slide-shows and fully interactive skills-lab's.

Avoid training that is purely online. Always choose CD or DVD based study materials where obtainable, so you can use them wherever and whenever you want - you don't want to be reliant on your broadband being 'up' 100 percent of the time.

A number of students assume that the state educational route is the way they should go. Why then are qualifications from the commercial sector becoming more in demand? With the costs of academic degree's spiralling out of control, along with the industry's growing opinion that vendor-based training is often far more commercially relevant, we have seen a dramatic increase in CISCO, Adobe, Microsoft and CompTIA accredited training routes that provide key skills to an employee for much less time and money. Academic courses, as a example, often get bogged down in too much background study - and much too wide a syllabus. Students are then held back from learning the core essentials in sufficient depth.

It's a bit like the TV advert: 'It does what it says on the tin'. Employers simply need to know what they need doing, and then match up the appropriate exam numbers as a requirement. Then they're assured that a potential employee can do exactly what's required.

Validated exam preparation packages are essential - and must be obtained from your course provider. Sometimes people can get confused by practising exam questions that don't come from the authorised examining boards. Sometimes, the way questions are phrased is startlingly different and you should be prepared for this. Ensure that you ask for testing modules in order to verify your comprehension at any point. Practice or 'mock' exams add to your knowledge bank - so you're much more at ease with the real thing.

The sometimes daunting task of finding your first IT job can be relieved by training colleges, through a Job Placement Assistance facility. Don't get caught up in this feature - it's easy for companies marketing departments to make it sound harder than it is. Ultimately, the need for well trained IT people in the United Kingdom is the reason you'll find a job.

However, what is relevant is to have help with your CV and interview techniques though; and we'd recommend any student to bring their CV up to date right at the beginning of their training - don't delay for when you're ready to start work. You'll often find that you'll land your first position whilst you're still studying (sometimes when you've only just got going). If your course details aren't on your CV - or it's not getting in front of interviewers, then you aren't even in the running! Actually, an independent and specialised local employment agency (who will get paid by the employer when they've placed you) is going to give you a better service than a recruitment division from a training organisation. Also of course they should know the local industry and employment needs.

A big aggravation of a number of training companies is how much people are prepared to study to get top marks in their exams, but how un-prepared they are to work on getting the job they've qualified for. Get out there and hustle - you might find it's fun.